Herd to play three games this weekend

HUNTINGTON – Marshall will play three games in three days starting on Friday with a 4:30 p.m. meeting with the University of District of Columbia in Hempstead, N.Y.

The Herd will follow with a game against South Dakota State Saturday at 2:30 p.m. before playing the host school, Hofstra at 3 p.m. All three games are a part of the 2K Sports Classic benefitting Wounded Warrior Project.

Three games in consecutive days is nothing new for Marshall which played four games in four days last March in the Conference USA Tournament. There, the Herd beat SMU, Tulsa and Southern Miss before falling to Memphis in the finals.

Marshall (1-1) will get an early season test away from the comfort of the Cam Henderson Center by playing four of its first five games away from home. It’s the first time since the 1994-95 season that the Herd will play that many games outside of Huntington so early in the season.

Junior D.D. Scarver has led the team in scoring with point totals of 18 and 22 in his first two games with the Herd. He is averaging 22.0 points per game, thanks in large part to his sharp-shooting ability, 58.3 percent (14-24) from the field and 72.7 percent (8-11) from three-point range which is one of the top marks in the NCAA.

Senior Dennis Tinnon has led the rebounding efforts so far with 7.0 per game along with a scoring average of 9.5. Preseason Conference USA First Team member DeAndre Kane is second on the team in scoring with 11.0 points per game.

UDC (3-0), Marshall’s first opponent is coming off a 76-63 win over University of the Sciences in its home-opener last Saturday. The Firebirds, an NCAA Division II team, opened the season with a 78-63 loss at Villanova, two days before the Herd played the Wildcats to an 80-68 loss.

South Dakota State (1-1), last season’s Summit League Champion and NCAA Tournament participant, is led by senior guard Nate Wolters. Scoring 21.2 points per game last season, Wolters is on pace for another 20-plus average at 26.0 this season. The Jackrabbits lone loss this season came by three points at Alabama where Wolters scored 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting.

Hofstra (0-2) is coming off an 83-54 loss at Purdue on Sunday. The Pride is led in scoring and rebounding by freshman forward Jimmy Hall with 14.0 points per game and 8.5 boards per game.

All three games can be heard on the radio throughout the Thundering Herd IMG Sports Network. Due to conflict with the Marshall football game on Saturday, the Herd’s basketball game with South Dakota State will be broadcast only on 94.1 FM and 930 AM. Every radio broadcast can be heard with a paid subscription to Herd All-Access.

Every game can be viewed through Hofstra’s athletic website GoHofstra.com. Live stats can also be found at GoHofstra.com. Follow @Herd_Zone on twitter for scoring updates throughout the season.